SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



97 



CURIOUS GROWTH OF TREES. 



A FEW days since, my young friend, J. C. Trigg, 



with whom I was wandering through Ashley 



Park, near Walton, in Surrey, pointed out to me a 



curious freak of nature in connection with the two 



should not have been so much surprised had it 

 looked as if the bark of the oak had grown round 

 the branch of the other tree through contact ; but 

 there is no sign of any seam. Anyone looking at 



...^/i ^t 



Curious Growth of Trees. 



trees of which I send a pencil sketch taken by 

 myself on the spot. The tree to the left, marked b 

 in one or two places, is an oak, while the other (a) 

 is a hornbeam. A large bough of the latter has 

 grown, through the oak and come out on the other 

 side in two places, as shown in the drawing. I 



September, 1898.— No. 52, Vol. V. 



it from the left would suppose that some of its 

 branches bear oak -leaves and others hornbeam. 

 I understand that there is a second very similar 

 instance in another part of the park. 



W. J. Lucas, B.A. 

 Kingston-on-Thames. 



